


Together We Face the Storm

by necromancy_enthusiast



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Character Death Fix, Established Relationship, F/F, Grieving, Hopeful Ending, Mid-Canon, Retcon, also vincent is there briefly because i love him, there is a bit of violence but it's literally in canon sooooo, this can be alternatively titled 'Final Fantasy VII Reframed: Ifalna and Elmyra Have a Bad Time'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-11 20:53:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20159923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/necromancy_enthusiast/pseuds/necromancy_enthusiast
Summary: An au where Ifalna didn't die at the station that day, and she raises Aerith with Elmyra.Together, they face the events of Final Fantasy VII.





	Together We Face the Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sanctum_c](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/gifts).
  * Inspired by [You're Always Waiting Here At The Station](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7938406) by [Ysavvryl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ysavvryl/pseuds/Ysavvryl). 

> For sanctum_c’s prompt for the 2019 FFVII Fanwork Exchange, ‘Ifalna doesn't die at the station; Elmyra's lost spouse was her wife. The two form a new relationship and raise Aeris together. Inspired by You're Always Waiting Here At The Station by Ysavvryl on Ao3.‘ By the way, the fic mentioned by sanctum_c is highly recommended.
> 
> Aside from the obvious, this au also includes a few slight retcons; Shinra recruiting women into their army as well as men, Aerith wearing the white materia as a charm on a necklace instead of in her hair, Cloud being the one to tell Elmyra that Aerith died instead of Reeve, and Marlene never getting kidnapped by Reeve/Cait Sith. It’s been a good while since I played FFVII and I tried to refresh my memory as best as I could, but if anything else is inaccurate, I’d be happy to correct it.
> 
> I didn't want to just rehash what Ysavvryl wrote, so I took a slightly different direction. Hope this is alright.

“I’m home, mom!” Aerith called as she entered the house. Elmyra, who was in the kitchen, came out to greet her. She was accompanied by a young man with spiky blond hair and an interesting glow to his eyes.

“Who is this?” Elmyra asked.

“Oh, this is Cloud, he’s my bodyguard,” Aerith said casually.

“Bodyguard? Why…” Elmyra paused for a short moment. “Wait, you mean you were followed _ again _?”

“Well, yes, but don’t worry,” Aerith said. At that moment, Ifalna came down the stairs.

“Hello Aerith,” she said as she stood next to Elmyra. “Who’s this?”

“Cloud, he’s a friend of mine,” Aerith said.

“We are not finished discussing this, Aerith,” Elmyra said, turning to Ifalna. “She said she was followed again.” 

Ifalna placed a hand above her chest. “Oh dear, are you alright Aerith?” she asked.

“I’m fine, I had Cloud with me.” 

Ifalna breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Thank you, Cloud.”

Cloud, who had still said nothing, simply nodded.

“Ifalna, would you come with me?” Elmyra asked.

“Of course,” Ifalna said. Together, the two went upstairs.

“Ifalna, we can’t ignore this. Everyday, Aerith is in more and more danger, and you as well.” Elmyra said.

Ifalna sighed. “I know.”

“What are we going to do about this?”

“I’m not sure. What can we do, really?” Ifalna asked. Elmyra sighed and looked away for a moment.

“I just… I don’t want to lose her, or you. Like I lost Leandra.”

“I know dear, I’m sorry we worry you like this.”

At that moment, they heard Aerith calling to them from downstairs.

“I’m going to take Cloud to Sector 7!” 

Elmyra sighed, and they both headed back downstairs.

“Dear…” Elmyra began. “I know how stubborn you can be once you’ve set your mind on something. Just be careful, alright?”

“We will,” Aerith said.

“If you’re going to Sector 7, then you should at least stay the night and head out in the morning, it’s getting late,” Ifalna said.

“Good point,” Aerith said.

“Would you go make the bed in the guest room for Cloud, Aerith?” Elmyra asked.

Aerith nodded, and headed upstairs.

“That glow in your eyes…” Elmyra said, turning to Cloud. “You’re from SOLDIER, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, or rather, I used to be,” he replied. Ifalna and Elmyra looked between one another.

“Cloud, I’m grateful for what you did, but could you leave alone tonight, without telling Aerith?”

“Elmyra, you can’t ask that of him. He’s done us a huge favor by helping Aerith,” Ifalna said.

“No, I get it,” Cloud replied. “I’ll leave tonight.”

“Thank you, Cloud,” Elmyra said. Cloud nodded again before making his way upstairs. Elmyra and Ifalna turned to each other.

“SOLDIER… Just like Zack. The last thing Aerith needs is to get her feelings hurt again,” Elmyra said.

“You can’t judge him based on that alone, Elmyra. He seems like a nice young man to me.”

“I don’t want Aerith to put herself in anymore danger.”

“I know dear, but don’t you think it’s a little cold to just turn him out into the night, especially when he’s helped us like this?”

“I’d rather not take any chances,” Elmyra said.

Ifalna sighed. “You say Aerith can be stubborn, but it seems as though the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“_Me? _I didn’t raise her in her most formative years. You’ve no one to blame but yourself.”

Ifalna laughed quietly. "Perhaps we're both at fault here."

……

When Ifalna made her way upstairs later that night, she checked the guest room and found Cloud had already left. She decided to check on Aerith as well, moving to the next door over and opening it.

“Hello, Aerith,” she said as Aerith was on the verge of climbing out the window.

“Oh,” she said, not looking even slightly guilty. “Hi mom.”

“I suppose you’re going to chase after that boy?”

“I promised I’d go with him to Sector 7, it’s too dangerous to go alone. I guess mom asked him to leave?”

Ifalna nodded. “You’re a grown woman Aerith, and I can’t tell you what to do. But there is something I wanted to give you before you left,” she said, and unlaced the necklace from around her neck.

“The white materia?” Aerith asked as she held both hands out to receive it. Ifalna nodded and placed the necklace in her daughter’s hands.

“I think you’re ready, and I have a feeling that you’ll be needing it. Something is afoot, can you feel the Planet calling to you?”

Aerith nodded as she put the necklace on. “Whatever you do, take care of yourself, Aerith, and take care of any friends you find along the way.”

“I will, I promise,” Aerith said, and turned back towards the window. “I’ve got to get going, or I’ll never catch up to Cloud.”

And with that, she was off into the night. If only Ifalna had known that was the last time she’d ever see her daughter.

……

The next morning, Aerith was gone along with Cloud. Elmyra seemed only marginally surprised by this development.

“I’m sure she won’t be long,” Ifalna said.

“I hope you’re right,” Elmyra replied.

……

Ifalna wasn’t wrong. Not really, anyway. But Aerith seemed to be bringing a lot of guests home lately, because this time, she came back with a little girl in tow while Ifalna was out grocery shopping.

“Aerith, what’s going on?” Elmyra asked.

Aerith, who seemed somewhat out of sorts, motioned towards the child. “This is Marlene, she’s the daughter of a friend.”

“Well, I have no problem with her being here, but why did you bring her?”

“Something bad is about to happen. Something very, _ very _ bad.”

Before Aerith could go on, a knock came at the door. Elmyra went to check who it was, but before she could even do that, the door was kicked open. Several uniformed troopers of the Shinra military made their way into the house, followed by a man Elmyra recognized immediately.

“Tseng!” Elmyra said. “I thought we told you that you weren’t welcome here!” 

Tseng shrugged. “The boss is getting antsy, says he wants an Ancient. Doesn’t matter which one.” He reached beneath his suit jacket’s breast and pulled out a handgun, pointing it towards Marlene before looking Aerith dead in the eyes. “So I figured we’d up the ante.” Marlene hid behind Aerith, a look of pure terror evident on her face.

“You-How could you-” Elmyra sputtered. “You’ll even point a gun at a child?!”

“As long as it gets the job done,” Tseng said. He made a quick motion with his free hand, and the troopers raised their weapons.

“If I go with you, you’ll leave Marlene and my mothers alone?” Aerith asked. Elmyra’s eyes widened in shock as she turned to Aerith.

“Aerith, you can’t do that! You know what they’ll do to you!”

“But if I don’t they’ll kill us all.”

“It really doesn’t matter to me what happens to one Ancient as long as the other is still alive,” Tseng added. “And since it seems as though Ifalna isn’t here, it would be a shame if something were to happen to her family while she was gone, wouldn’t it?”

“You are an absolutely despicable, vile man!” Elmyra exclaimed.

“Your point?” Tseng asked.

“All of you, lower your weapons! I’m not going unless you do that first,” Aerith said.

“Aerith!” Elmyra called.

Aerith turned to Elmyra and smiled. “Don’t worry, mom. Everything will be okay. My friends will save me,” she said.

“I’d like to see them try,” Tseng said. He lowered his gun, and with another hand motion, the troopers did the same. “Come here, Aerith.”

As Aerith stepped forward, Marlene grabbed her hand and pulled hard. 

“Flower lady, don’t go! You can’t trust them!” she said. Aerith smiled serenely and patted Marlene’s head.

“It’ll be alright. You just stay here and don’t worry. My mothers will take care of you until your father can again.” Marlene, on the verge of tears, reluctantly let Aerith go. Aerith walked over to Tseng, and two troopers moved to stand by her on both sides, each grabbing one arm and forcing it behind her back so as to make struggling more difficult.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Gainsborough,” Tseng said. “Let’s get out of here.” The men made their way towards the door and opened it, pushing Aerith through.

“_ Aerith! _” Elmyra called as she ran towards her daughter with a hand outreached, but before she made it to Aerith, the door was slammed shut in her face. Not knowing what else to do, Elmyra crumpled to the ground. Behind her, a weak voice spoke up.

“Will the flower lady be okay?” Marlene asked.

“I-” Elmyra began, feeling tears form in her eyes. “I don’t know.”

……

When Ifalna came through the door, she hadn’t expected to find her wife a sobbing mess on the floor with a small girl she’d never seen before sitting next to her and holding her hand. She left the grocery bags on the floor nearby and got on her knees so she could put her hands on Elmyra’s shoulders.

“What’s the matter, Elmyra?” she asked.

“They took Aerith,” she managed to choke out between sobs. Ifalna’s heart stopped in her chest. She’d had a feeling this day would come, but she’d never guessed that it would’ve felt like ice was running through her veins.

……

The upper plate of Sector 7 came crashing down on the lower plate, crushing thousands to death. Cloud and two other people, a tall, muscular man with a gun in lieu of his right forearm, and a robust woman with long brown hair in a loose ponytail, came for a visit not long after.

“Cloud?” Elmyra asked, having managed to calm down enough to not cry. The young man walked forward.

“The Shinra have her. I’m sorry,” he said.

“We know,” Ifalna said. “They took her from here.”

“Why are they after her anyway?” Cloud asked.

“Aerith and I are Cetra, or Ancients, as you might know us. The last two in the world,” Ifalna said. “When Aerith was just a baby, her father was killed and we were taken prisoners by Shinra. Fifteen years ago, we escaped the Shinra research laboratory, but I was gravely wounded. I only made it to the steps of the Sector 5 train station before I collapsed. I almost died there, but then Elmyra found us. She helped me get medical attention, and took us into her home.”

“Don’t give me so much credit,” Elmyra began. “My wife Leandra was at the front of the war, I was lonely.” She thought on her words for a moment before continuing. “Not that I would’ve _ ever _ cheated on her, just-You know-It’s good to have house guests.”

“You shouldn’t sell your good nature short like that, dear,” Elmyra scolded lightly.

“_Anyway_, Aerith warmed up to me quickly. She was always such a sunny child, loved to talk about everything and anything. Sometime later, Aerith told me that someone I loved had passed away. I didn’t believe her at first, but then I got a letter, saying just that. That Leandra wouldn’t be coming back, ever.” She looked away, and Ifalna put a hand on her shoulder.

Ifalna took over. “Despite my best efforts to throw them off our trails, Shinra found us eventually, anyway. Lately they’ve been coming by and trying to convince us to go back with them. I’m still not sure why it took them so long to use coercive force.”

“They needed you, so I guess they didn’t want to risk hurting you. But they must be getting desperate now,” Elmyra said. “She brought a little girl with her, and when the Shinra came, they threatened us. Aerith offered to go with them quietly if they’d leave us in peace.”

The man stepped forward. “Is her name Marlene?” he asked.

“Yes, that’s her,” Elmyra said.

“She was caught because of Marlene?!” he said. “I’m sorry… My name’s Barret, Marlene’s my daughter.”

“You’re her father?” Elmyra asked in an accusatory tone. “How could you just leave her alone like that?!”

“Elmyra…” Ifalna said in a calming voice.

“I know, I know…” Barret began. “I think about it all the time. I wanna be with Marlene, but I gotta fight. If I don’t, the Planet will die, and she’ll never be safe. Even though I want to be with her, I gotta fight.”

Elmyra sighed defeatedly. “I think I understand what you’re saying, but I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

“Why don’t you go see her? She’s sleeping upstairs,” Ifalna said. At that, Barret ran up the stairs.

“I’m so sorry, this is all my fault, I’m the one that got Aerith involved,” said the woman that had accompanied Cloud.

“Tifa…” he said.

“No, it’s not. She wouldn’t want you to think that way,” Elmyra said. Not knowing what else to do, Cloud and Tifa made their way upstairs, and the two were left alone.

“So what do we do?” Ifalna asked. Elmyra sighed and put her hand on her forehead.

“I don’t know, Ifalna. I just don’t.”

Some time later, Cloud, Tifa, and Barret came back downstairs.

“Will you watch Marlene for awhile longer? I promise I’ll make this up to you by getting Aerith out of there,” Barret said.

“Well, I don’t see the harm,” Elmyra said.

“We’d be happy to do that, but I don’t think you know what you’re getting into. Shinra’s headquarters is highly guarded, with only the three of you…” Ifalna trailed off.

“Have faith in us,” Tifa said. “We’ll make this right, I promise.”

“I suppose we can’t stop you,” Elmyra replied.

“We promise we’ll get her back,” Cloud said.

“With the way things are going, you should all get out of here as soon as you can,” Barret said.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Elmyra admitted. “But you have to promise me that you’ll come back to Marlene, don’t go running off and getting yourself killed, alright?”

“I won’t, thank you so, so much,” Barret said.

“We should get going, I suppose,” Cloud said.

“_ Please _ be careful, all of you,” Ifalna warned.

“We’ll try our best,” Tifa said.

......

In the early hours of the morning, Elmyra got a call on the PHS.

“Mom?” came that familiar voice.

“Aerith?! Are you alright, sweetie? Where are you?!”

“It’s okay, Cloud and the others saved me, just like I said.”

“What’s the matter, dear?” Ifalna asked from across the room as she still lay in their bed, rubbing her eyes.

“Oh, Ifalna. I’m sorry I woke you, but Aerith is okay!” All signs of sleepiness immediately drained from Ifalna’s personage as she got up and rushed over to Elmyra.

“Let me talk to her,” Ifalna said.

“Here, I’ll put it on speaker,” Elmyra said as she did so.

“Hi mom, I’m leaving Midgar with Cloud and the others,” Aerith said.

“Leaving-Why? Wouldn’t it be better to come home so we could all go together?” Elmyra asked.

“Well, it’s too dangerous to risk that. You need to get out as fast as you can’t. They don’t have me anymore, so they might go after you, mom. And something happened when the others were rescuing me. Do you remember Sephiroth?”

“That famous member of SOLDIER? Didn’t he go missing years ago?” Ifalna asked.

“Yes, but he’s still alive. We’re going after him, and Shinra.”

“But-You-” Elmyra sighed. “It’s too early for this, Aerith. Please just come home.”

“I can’t, we have to do this together. We have to stop him, and Shinra, or they’ll kill the Planet.”

“Now Aerith, don’t be ridiculous,” Elmyra said.

“I think she has a point,” Ifalna said. “I think she met Cloud, Tifa, and Barret for a reason, and maybe this was that reason.”

Elmyra dragged her free hand down her face in exasperation. “I suppose there’s not much we can do to stop you, Aerith.”

“Not a single thing!” Aerith said cheerfully. “I really have to go right now, but I’ll fill you in on the details later. Bye!” and with that, the line went dead.

“Well, that’s lovely,” Elmyra said.

“Maybe it’s best if we talk about this after some more sleep,” Ifalna said as she took Elmyra’s hand and led her back to their bed.

......

“Well, it’s not much, but it’ll do at least until things calm down,” Elmyra said as she took the few belongings she was able to bring with her up the stairs. 

Ifalna followed behind her. “Ha. Calm. Because we’re in Kalm,” she said.

Elmyra rolled her eyes. “Oh hardy har, how clever. The _ absolutely easiest _ joke in the world, and you went for it anyway.”

“You know I’m hilarious,” Ifalna said with a smile.

“If that’s what you want to believe,” Elmyra sniped back while wearing a matching smile.

“Ms. Elmyra! Ms. Ifalna!” Marlene called from up the stairs.

“What is it, Marlene?” Elmyra asked as she reached the top and saw Marlene. The little girl pointed to a door.

“I call this room!”

“Well, we’ll get a general layout of the house, and then we’ll talk about it,” Elmyra said.

“Awww, please?” Marlene asked as she clasped her hands together in front of her.

“Oh, let her have some fun,” Ifalna said.

“We don’t even know how big any of the bedrooms are yet, Ifalna,” Elmyra replied.

“Well, first come, first serve.”

Elmyra brought a finger up in a scolding gesture. “I-Don’t encourage her,” she said. Ifalna just laughed.

......

Every few days, they got a call from Aerith. She updated them on their journey, their plans, and little anecdotes that had occurred in their daily lives.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, we met a new friend in the Shinra headquarters,” Aerith said.

“Oh, who is this new friend?” Ifalna asked.

“He says to call him Red XIII. Not really sure what species he is, but he looks like a cross of a lion and a wolf? And he’s red. I guess it’d be a little odd to call him Red XIII if he wasn’t red.”

“He’s an animal?”

“Well… Yes, but he can talk. He’s a good person.”

“Very… Interesting, dear. I’ll be sure to tell your mother later.”

......

“We have someone new travelling with us today,” Aerith said.

“Oh, you’ve met someone new? I’m glad,” Elmyra said, having put the PHS on speaker so she and Ifalna could both hear.

“What’s their name, dear?” Ifalna asked.

“Her name’s Yuffie Kisaragi. She’s an interesting girl, she says she’s a ninja from Wutai.” Elmyra’s mouth hung open for a moment.

“Wutai? You mean like…” Ifalna put her hand over the one Elmyra had rested on her lap.

“I doubt there are many other Wutais out there,” Aerith said.

“Maybe she knows about-” Elmyra began.

“Leandra?” Ifalna finished. 

Elmyra considered this, but shook her head. “No, I doubt it.”

“She’s only a teenager, she was probably just a baby when the war was going on,” Aerith explained.

“Ah, I see,” Elmyra said. “A bit silly of me to get all excited like that.”

......

“A talking cat, that rides on a giant moogle doll, and tells fortunes?” Ifalna asked.

“That’s right,” Aerith said. ‘He’s a fortune telling machine, anyway.”

“Well, that makes a bit more sense. Seems a bit elaborate for one of those, though. You met him at the Gold Saucer?”

“Mhm. He insisted on coming along.”

“Well you certainly do seem to attract such interesting…. People, Aerith.”

......

“So, let me make sure I’ve got this straight,” Elmyra said one day over the PHS with Aerith. "You found a man?"

"Yes,” Aerith said.

"Underneath a mansion in Nibelheim."

"Right."

"Sleeping in a coffin."

"Mhm."

"_And you brought him along with you?" _

"That's right!"

Elmyra sat on the couch and massaged her temple with her free hand. "_Why?" _

"Well, he seemed lonely, and I thought it would do him some good to get out and see the world. And when Cloud mentioned we were searching for Sephiroth and we might come across Hojo, he seemed really interested in coming along. The more the merrier, right?"

Elmyra sighed. “Aerith, sometimes I worry that you’re too trusting for your own good.”

“Mom, you would feel differently if you met him, you’d know that he was a good man,” Aerith insisted.

“If you say so, then let me talk to him. Is he with you?”

“Yes, actually! He, Cloud, and I are travelling together right now while the others are taking a different route.” Her voice seemed a bit more distant as she spoke. “Vincent! Can you come here? My mother would like to talk to you.” Elmyra was greeted by dead silence.

“Is… Are you there?” she asked.

“Yes,” came a deep, solemn voice.

“So, you’re Mr. Valentine?”

“Correct.”

“Well, I’m Elmyra Gainsborough, one of Aerith’s mothers, and I have some questions for you,” Elmyra began.

“Very well,” he said.

“Aerith tells me they found you sleeping in a coffin underneath a mansion?”

“Right.”

“And exactly how long were you doing that, Mr. Valentine?”

A short pause, as though he was considering the question. “Given the current date, it must have been nearly thirty years.”

“Th... Thirty years?!” Elmyra exclaimed. “You must be joking, you barely sound thirty yourself!”

“I assure you I’m not joking.”

“Then tell me, how is that even possible?”

“I assume it has something to do with the genetic experiments that were performed on me before my slumber.”

“And I imagine you’re going to tell me that’s why you sound so young too? Those experiments make you functionally immortal, or something?”

“It would seem so.”

Elmyra chuckled in disbelief. “I was joking when I said that, but… You _ really _ don’t sound like you’re kidding, and yet this is all so hard to believe.”

“You don’t have to believe it, it doesn’t matter either way.”

“So, exactly why are you travelling with my daughter again?”

“Sephiroth was created by Hojo due to my sins, and I must atone for them. I thought eternal slumber was the only way I could achieve this, but now I realize I must fight Sephiroth and confront Hojo.” Elmyra paused for a long moment. This man, whoever he was, really sounded like he was absolutely serious about everything he’d just said. She’d half expected it all to be an elaborate joke Aerith had made up, but that was getting harder and harder to believe.

“So, Mr. Valentine,” she continued. “I don’t know how much of your story I should, or even can believe, but like you said, I guess it doesn’t matter. What really matters is that you’re travelling with my daughter, and if you’re going to be doing that, you had better not betray her trust. If I hear that you’ve caused her or her friends any trouble, you _ will _ be sorry.”

“All I wish to do is fight alongside Aerith to defeat Hojo and Sephiroth,” Vincent said. “Nothing more. I will defend her and my other allies until the end. That I promise you.”

“Good.”

“If you’ve nothing left to say to me, I’ll return the PHS to Aerith.” Another few seconds of silence passed before Aerith’s voice came through again.

“See, he’s not a bad guy,” Aerith said.

"Well-” Elmyra said, grasping for something to say. “The world certainly is full of colorful characters, isn't it?"

"True, but that makes things more interesting, don't you think mom?"

Elmyra sighed. “I suppose you have a point.”

......

“Our new recruit’s name is Cid Highwind! He’s a pilot!” Aerith said.

“Just a pilot?” Elmyra asked.

“Yep, he flies airplanes.”

“He’s not also, I don’t know, a wizard, or a hermit that’s spent his life mastering martial arts, or anything like that?”

“Of course not, mom. That’s silly,” Aerith replied.

“He sounds so… Normal,” Elmyra said, still waiting for the kicker.

“I suppose he might be, compared to some of the other people travelling with us. Wait! I forgot to mention!”

Ah, here it came, Elmyra thought.

“He was almost the first man in space, but an accident happened and Shinra cancelled the program.”

Oh. Well, Elmyra supposed that _ was _ still a kicker, but a bit of a disappointing one, really.

“I see. What a shame,” Elmyra said.

“He’s… A bit rough around the edges, but I don’t think he’s a bad person,” Aerith continued.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I-” A loud, mechanical noise sounded in the background, followed by a stream of even louder cursing shouted by a grizzled voice. “Oh dear,” Aerith said. “That’s Cid, he’s trying to fix something but uh, it doesn’t look like it’s going well. I should go help him now.”

“Aerith-” Elmyra said, but the line went dead.

......

One day, instead of getting a call from Aerith, it was Tifa they spoke to.

“Hello Tifa, where’s Aerith?” Ifalna asked.

“We-” Tifa trailed off, as though she was reluctant to continue. “We aren’t sure, she left.”

“Oh…” Ifalna said.

“But we think we know where she’s going, it’s a place called the Forgotten City.”

“I know of it, it was once a great city of the Cetra before it was abandoned.”

“Yeah, that’s what we heard. I’m sorry I can’t give you more positive news, but I’ll make sure she calls you again when we’ve found her.”

“Alright, I’ll tell Elmyra. Thank you, Tifa.”

“Sure.”

......

A few nights later, Elmyra awoke to Ifalna quietly sobbing beside her.

“What’s wrong, dear?” Elmyra asked.

“Aerith…” Ifalna murmured. Elmyra didn’t need her to elaborate. She knew Aerith was gone. Deep within her soul, she felt a vast chasm open up, threatening to swallow everything that she was. Just like it had when she’d lost Leandra. Elmyra hadn’t even realized she was crying until Ifalna wiped the tears from her eyes before hugging her. Nothing more was said, truly, what could be said? Aerith was gone, taken before her time, just like Gast, just like Leandra. They cried and held each other until the sunlight broke through their window.

......

Late that night, when Marlene was tucked into bed, they got a call from Cloud.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” he said.

"We know why you called," Ifalna replied as she sat on the sofa, Elmyra next to her as she held the phone between them so they could both hear.

"You do?" he asked.

"Yes, Ifalna knew immediately what happened,” Elmyra said.

Cloud lowered his voice. "You mean… That Aerith is dead?"

Elmyra thought when they got confirmation of Aerith's death that it wouldn't hurt as much as it had when Ifalna told her. But it turned out, at least in Elmyra's case, that hearing of Aerith's death was like being stabbed in the heart, the first stab didn't make the second any less painful. All of those visceral emotions she thought she might be getting a handle on returned as though they'd hit her in the back of the head like a lead pipe, and she found herself desperately trying not to cry. Ifalna, on the other hand, seemed… Tired. Withdrawn. Almost as though she wasn’t sure if anything was real. Nonetheless, she put her arm around Elmyra’s shoulders.

"How did she die?" Elmyra asked, her voice quavering. Cloud said nothing. "Cloud," Elmyra said as sternly as she was able to in her current state. "Tell me how she died."

Cloud was quiet for a moment longer before he said, "You sure you want to know?"

When Elmyra got that letter from Shinra, it hadn't said anything about how Leandra died, nor why, nor what happened to her body. Only that she was gone forever. Elmyra had tried desperately to find answers, but no matter how she begged and pleaded for something, _ anything _ , Shinra gave her nothing. She didn't know exactly what happened to Leandra, and she probably never would. Even though that had been over fifteen years ago, it still haunted her, and she would likely carry it to her grave. If Elmyra wasn't very careful with her thoughts in those early days of the aftermath, her mind would run rampant with scenarios of how Leandra had met her end, each more horrible than the last. If Aerith and Ifalna hadn't been there, she wasn't sure she would have survived her grief. She couldn't do that again. She just _ couldn’t _.

"I'm certain. Please tell me, Cloud. _ Please _," Elmyra pleaded. Another moment of silence passed before Cloud spoke.

“Alright. We think Aerith was trying to stop Sephiroth on her own somehow, and he… He impaled her on his sword."

Elmyra inhaled shakily but said nothing. Ifalna brought her close. 

"I knew she did not meet her end peacefully, but I… I wouldn't have thought…" Ifalna said. "What happened to her body?" she asked as Elmyra sobbed into her shoulder quietly.

“We laid her to rest in the Forgotten City.”

“It is quiet, and peaceful. There is not a better place for her body to rest,” Ifalna said more to Elmyra than to Cloud. But Elmyra said nothing, what _ could _ she say? It was like losing Aerith all over again.

“I’m sorry,” Cloud said. “We couldn’t save her. I get it if you’re angry.”

“Cloud, this isn’t your fault, or anyone but Sephiroth’s,” Ifalna said. “You don’t need our forgiveness, what you need to do is forgive yourself.”

Cloud was silent for a long moment. “I’m not sure I can.” A long, awkward pause followed before Cloud spoke again. “We were wondering if maybe you had any idea of what she was doing there in the first place. She was in a temple, and it looked like she was praying. She had this necklace she always wore in her hands, but when Sephiroth… She dropped it, and it rolled off the platform she was on and fell into the water below.”

Ifalna paused in shock. “She must have been trying to call Holy.”

“Holy?”

“Yes, the ultimate white magic. The white materia was in that necklace I gave her, and that’s what you use to call Holy. She told me Sephiroth was trying to call Meteor, so she must have been calling Holy to counteract it.”

“Well, we’re trying to stop him from doing that altogether.”

“Cloud, right before I felt Aerith die there was… Something. A subtle change in the Planet’s energy. I think that must have been Holy. But it feels… Weak. Blocked off, almost. I think that must have something to do with Sephiroth.”

“We’ve still got work left to do, so Aerith can rest in peace,” Cloud said. A long, awkward pause followed. “I should probably go now.” It seemed as though he wished he could say something more, but was at a loss for words. “Thanks. You can call us anytime.”

“Thank you, Cloud,” Ifalna said. Once she’d hung the PHS up, Elmyra wailed openly, and Ifalna encircled her in her arms and ran a hand up and down Elmyra’s back soothingly. Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that, but it didn’t really matter. Aerith, their child, their little girl, was gone.

......

They knew they were going to have to tell Marlene. She was a young girl, but she wasn’t stupid. Despite their best efforts to keep it together in front of her, it seemed as though she had noticed something was off.

“Marlene, do you know what happens when someone dies?” Elmyra asked as the three of them sat on the couch together, Marlene holding a stuffed toy in her arms.

“They stop moving? And they won’t talk to you anymore?” Marlene said.

Ifalna spoke next. “Yes, that’s true. It’s because their soul leaves their body and goes back to something called the Lifestream that’s in the Planet.”

“What’s the Lifestream?” Marlene asked.

“It’s...It’s all the souls of everyone that’s ever lived and died combined together. It’s where we all come from, and where we’ll all go back to one day,” Ifalna explained.

“Does it hurt?”

Ifalna continued. “No, you don’t really feel anything. You just… Go back, and you’re with everyone else. Everyone you loved that’s gone before you, and you’ll be waiting there for everyone you left behind.”

Marlene held the toy tighter. “... Why are you telling me this?”

Elmyra spoke this time. “Because… Because that’s what happened to Aerith. She went back to the Planet. She’s gone.”

“So I can’t see her anymore? Or talk to her, or play with her?”

“No, you can’t. I’m sorry, Marlene,” Elmyra said. Marlene was quiet for a moment before they noticed tears welling in her eyes.

“But why? Why did she have to go?”

“That’s just how things are. Everyone has to go eventually, some go sooner than others,” Ifalna said. “Aerith was one of the people that went sooner.”

Marlene raised her voice. “But that’s not fair!”

Ifalna hugged Marlene. “You’re right, it isn’t. But we can’t change it.”

“But-” Marlene interrupted herself with a sob. “But that’s _ not fair- _” she hid her face in her toy, and Elmyra also wrapped her arms around the young girl as she cried.

......

“Aerith still hasn’t become one with the Lifestream,” Ifalna said unprompted some days later.

“What do you mean?” Elmyra asked.

“Usually when a living being dies, their soul returns rather quickly to the Lifestream and melds with it. In that process, you essentially lose your sense of identity. But I can still feel Aerith’s presence within it.”

“How is that possible?”

“If one’s will is strong enough, they can remain sentient even within the Lifestream.” Ifalna paused, speaking a bit more quietly. “She speaks to me, sometimes.”

“What does she say?”

“That… Everything will be alright. That she’s done her part, and Cloud and the others will take care of the rest. That no matter what happens, we don’t have to be afraid. That she’s sorry she had to leave.”

“Can you-” Elmyra began, but was interrupted by another wave of emotions crashing down on her. “Can you tell her that I love her? That I’m proud of her?” Ifalna smiled sadly and took Elmyra’s hand into her own.

“I already have.”

......

Some time later, the news of Meteor broke. There was so much talk of Meteor, and Weapons, and Shinra’s likely empty promises to take care of them, that it was hard to keep up with everything. Even Cloud and his friends’ explanations over the PHS seemed vague and jumbled at best. But as usual, Ifalna explained it all with calm poise.

“Meteor is the ultimate black magic that the Cetra locked away long ago,” she said. “I don’t think it could destroy the Planet entirely, but it would definitely scar it horrifically. Millions would die were it to make impact.”

“What about these Weapons everyone keeps talking about?” Elmyra asked.

“They are the guardians of the Planet created 2,000 years ago when the Cetra were in great danger. Normally they sleep somewhere far away, but now it seems as though Meteor has awakened them.”

“It’s so strange, watching the world go mad and not being able to do anything about it.”

“Yes, but I don’t think we have to worry. Aerith cast Holy, and her friends are going after Sephiroth to free it from him.”

Elmyra laughed defeatedly. “But what if they can’t? Then we truly are doomed.”

“No. Aerith’s friends will take care of this.”

“You have so much faith in these people we barely know, most of whom we haven’t even met. Who’s to say they’re doing anything? That they haven’t given up?”

“Aerith had enough faith in them to leave the fate of the Planet in their hands, and so do I.” Elmyra knew that arguing the point wasn’t going to do either of them any good, so she let it be.

......

It was odd, the end of the world. It seemed as though everyone wanted to be the hero that would save the day, but there could only be so many heroes in the world. There were far more normal people in the world than heroes, and when you were just a normal person, what could you do when your doom was hanging in the sky and inching closer and closer every day? Nothing. _ Absolutely nothing. _ It reminded you of how small and insignificant you were in the grand scheme of things. In this scenario, you had two choices; throw up your hands in despair, or anger, or for some, even euphoria, or you could go about your day as usual. Elmyra, Ifalna, and Marlene had chosen the latter.

Late one night, Elmyra and Marlene sat at the table upstairs together. Elmyra was doing some sewing, and Marlene was reading a book. But something seemed to catch Marlene’s attention. She put the book down, stood, and went over to the window to open it.

“Marlene, what is it?” Elmyra asked as she stood and followed suit. When she saw what Marlene was staring at, her eyes widened and she gasped. “Ifalna, come quick!” she called. A short moment later, Ifalna was upstairs and making her way over to the window.

“What’s the matter?” Ifalna asked. Elmyra, feeling a bit too dumbstruck to reply properly, simply pointed out the window, and Ifalna followed with her line of sight. It was Meteor, falling right over Midgar. However, Ifalna almost seemed nonplussed about it.

“It will be alright,” she said.

“I-But-” Elmyra tried to articulate.

“I am certain of it. Aerith promised me.”

Elmyra’s eyes only widened. “I don’t mean to doubt her, but-” Elmyra simply gesticulated at Meteor again.

“We don’t have to worry,” Ifalna insisted, taking Marlene and Elmyra’s hands into her own. “All we have to do is watch and wait.”

“But what if you’re wrong? What if it won’t be alright? What if Cloud and the others failed? What if…” Elmyra trailed off.

“I know that won’t happen, but even if it did, what would be the point of worrying? There’s nothing we can do about it,” Ifalna said. Elmyra couldn’t help but vocalize her frustration.

“I wish I could be as certain as you about all of this,” she said.

“Trust me, Elmyra. Trust me, and Aerith.”

“It’s okay, Ms. Elmyra,” Marlene said as she squeezed Elmyra’s hand reassuringly. “Aerith will take care of us.” Elmyra couldn’t help but chuckle defeatedly.

“Look at me, a grown woman being reassured by a child.” She took a deep breath and looked out the window again. “I’ll try.”

Meteor seemed to be descending much slower than Elmyra would have imagined it to. It painted the night red as it raged over Midgar, causing violent lightning storms and tornadoes to ravage the city.

But then, out of nowhere, a brilliant white light flashed, and from it poured forth a wave of blue energy that rushed over Midgar like a protective veil.

“What is that?” Elmyra asked. “Is it…”

“Holy,” Ifalna answered. For a few moments, it seemed like it might stop Meteor altogether. But then, Meteor seemed to be breaking through. Panic arose in Elmyra anew, but Ifalna’s words came to her. _ Trust me, Elmyra. Trust me, and Aerith. _So, despite everything inside of her screaming otherwise, she decided to do just that.

“What’s that?” Marlene asked as she pointed off into the distance. Elmyra and Ifalna followed her and saw what appeared to be streams of light green energy dancing through the air. At first there were only a few, but soon enough they were coming from all directions. They gathered at Holy as though they were reinforcing it.

“It’s the Lifestream,” Ifalna said. As Elmyra looked on, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity. As though… As though she was seeing someone she hadn’t in a long time.

“Aerith,” she said. Ifalna turned to her, somewhat surprised.

“You can sense her too?” she asked.

“Probably not as strongly as you, but… Yes, I know she’s there.” 

“See, Ms. Elmyra? We told you everything would be alright, ‘cause Aerith’s gonna take care of us,” Marlene said, smiling. Suddenly, a bright light emanated from Holy, so bright that they had to cover their eyes. When the light receded and they again looked upon it, Meteor was being broken into millions of fragments and distributed away from Midgar. Slowly, the Lifestream dispersed, some of it moving bits of Meteor, some of it receding back into the Planet. Elmyra could feel Aerith slowly, slowly fading away, and before she knew it, she felt the pinprick of tears in the corners of her eyes again. She turned to Ifalna, who was holding a hand over her mouth and also on the verge of tears. Marlene looked between them.

“Why are you sad? Aerith saved us!” she said. 

Elmyra wiped at her eyes and gathered Ifalna into her arms. “You’re right… She did.”

“My child… _ Our _ child,” Ifalna said as tears flowed from her eyes.

Maybe someday they would stop crying over Aerith. But it wasn’t going to happen today, and Elmyra decided that was alright.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this was a satisfying read, thanks for taking the time to get this far.


End file.
